“Authentic – Delicious – Memorable”
A UNIQUE dining experience!
JOY OF SHARING
All our dishes are intended for sharing and will be served as they are ready."
- The Banana Leaf restaurant
BACKGROUND
Banana Leaf restaurant is the Malaysian restaurant, where you can have an “Authentic, Delicious, Memorable” experience when you’re dining there, based on our experience and a lot of diners at the most adored Malaysian restaurant in Vancouver.
The first Banana Leaf was opened in 1995 with the unique name from the way to eat of Malaysian originating. They also incorporate Thai, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian inspiration, but with their own tastes.
After 25 years, they’ve expanded to 5 locations in Metro Vancouver, with the same warm atmosphere, delicious food, and friendly service. There are 3 Banana Leaf in downtown Vancouver (Robson Street, Davie Street, Denman Street), 1 in Kitsilano, and also 1 in the Broadway corridor. The business hours are from 11:30 am. to 10 pm. for all locations. We went to Robson locations to have dinner for this Dineout Vancouver event.
LOCATION:
Banana Leaf on Broadway
820 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1J8 
Banana Leaf in Kitsilano
3005 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G9
Banana Leaf on Davie
1043 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1M5
Banana Leaf on Denman
1096 Denman St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2M8
Banana Leaf on Robson
1779 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9
AWARDS:
The Banana Leaf is the winner of so many awards, such as Westender – BEST OF THE CITY DINING, Vancouver Magazine – ANNUAL RESTAURANT AWARDS, the Georgia Straight – ANNUAL GOLDEN PLATES, Tripadvisor – CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE…
SOCIAL MEDIA:
According to tripadvisor.ca, Banana Leaf gets 4.0/5.0 in rating, ranks 27 in 556 Asian restaurants in Vancouver. Most people said that Banana Leaf is a great Asian restaurant, with tasty food and quick service. “We had an awesome time at this restaurant. Our group of 9 were seated upstairs with window views. Food came in very good time and was piping hot. We had the $45 Tasting Menu of 11 courses and everything tasted delicious. The seafood served was awesome. The service was friendly and attentive. The ambience was great and it was not as crowded and busy as downstairs. The only complaint we had if any, was that the coconut rice came after we had almost finished all the dishes, and some of it was not well cooked. Other than that everything else was fabulous!!“, travelbug52Vancouver commented.
They also have lots of interactions, favorites, and followings on Facebook and Instagram. The guests had a ton of honest comments about food, service, restaurant atmosphere, accompanied by so many photos.
PROMOTION:
Similar to other restaurants, Banana Leaf restaurants also have happy hour promotion for dine-in only from 3:00 pm. to 6:00 pm. every day, 8:00 pm. to close for Sunday to Thursday, and 9:00 pm to close for Friday and Saturday. In addition, they also have promotions buy 1 take 1 home for free at particular hours.
These things not only contribute to the development of the restaurant’s business, but diners can also enjoy delicious food every day at a reasonable price.
FOOD
Menu:
Dine-out Vancouver Menu (7 Course)
Appetizers:
PINEAPPLE PAPAYA ASIAN GREEN SALAD:
This dish was a great choice to start a meal. They were served at perfect portion size.The presentation was neat and simple. The highlight of the dish was the fresh ingredients used and the refreshing salad dressing. The dish is tossed with dice of pineapple, papaya, bell pepper, tomato, lettuce, peanut and sesame in a dressing of lemongrass , fish sauce, vinegar, salt and olive oil.
NYONYA CRISPY CALAMARI :
The word NYONYA refers to the Chinese influence on the dish. This is a batter fried squid rings served with chilly sauce. The squid fry lacks lack flavor and seasoning. It was balanced when we tried it with the chilly sauce. The dish wasn’t served hot as it should be and we felt it was oily than crispy. Overall satisfaction on the dish was below the average.
SATAY CHICKEN:
The famous Malaysian street food, chicken is grilled and served on skewers accompanied with peanut sauce, It is a classic combination. The chicken was juice, tender,lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked. The peanut sauce was thick in its consistency and perfectly blended with the flavors on the chicken. Crispy calamari and satay chicken was served on same plate and Presentation was not up to the standards.
Entree:
SEAFOOD IN GULAI SAUCE:
Gulai sauce or curry is originated from Indonesia. It’s a rich, thick yellowish sauce with abundance of flavor. The sauce is made with coconut milk, main ingredients are turmeric, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, black pepper, coriander and fennel. The seafood served was fish, prawns and mussels. The curry was accompanied with sticky turmeric rice. The presentation of the dish was professional and appealing
GOLDEN FRIED CAULIFLOWER:
It’s a simple dish, cauliflower breaded with flour and seasoning fried perfectly to golden brown and crispy. Served with sweet chilly sauce and turmeric rice. It was the veg option for entrée which was not up to the standards of their non-veg and seafood options. The presentation was minimal and not a dish to recommend to anyone.
Dessert:
PANDAN COCONUT PANNA COTTA:
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert, made with cream, sweetener and thicken with gelatin. Pandan coconut Panna cotta is a Banana leaf version of the classic Italian dessert. Replacing cream with coconut cream and Mango puree. The dessert was light and smooth, mild in flavor and sweetness. The presentation was delicious and the portion size was perfect. A great way to end the meal.
INTERIOR & EXTERIOR
The exterior of the restaurant is especially remarkable. Its beautiful lighting is noticeable even from a far distance. With warming lighting, it is welcoming. It also has a warm environment overall.
As a Malaysian restaurant, you can experience a unique atmosphere and decorate.
Especially two statues at the door is really eye-catching for customers. Also, each side of restaurant, you can see exotic symbols and patterns.
It is a two stories restaurant with spacious inside. So, it is great for groups or families.
Services:
We felt really welcoming and the servers were nice and kind. However, in food-wise, it was not a perfect experience. For example, explaining menus were not enough. Malaysian cuisine is quite not common food. When we were trying the food, we were not sure about the menus and ingredients. We expected to get more information and details about the food.
Atmosphere:
The Atmosphere of the restaurant was exotic and nice overall. However, music was not really matching the mood of the restaurant. In my personal opinion, if they play Malaysian pop or traditional music, it would be better for the atmosphere.
Bar:
Like most of fine dining, Banana Leaf has its own bar, so if you want to have some drinks, you can enjoy it at the bar. Bartender will make you a drink at reasonable price !
Writers: Luna Nguyen, Raees, Garam
References:
- The Georgia Straight. (2019). Banana Leaf’s tantalizing cuisine wins best Malaysian in Golden Plates Awards. Retrieved from: https://www.straight.com/food/1215856/banana-leafs-tantalizing-cuisine-wins-best-malaysian-golden-plates-awards
- Banana Leaf. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.bananaleaf-vancouver.com/
- Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2020 – Restaurants. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.dineoutvancouver.com/restaurants/
- Vancouver Magazine. (2020). Banana Leaf. Retrieved from: https://www.vanmag.com/banana-leaf
- Tripadvisor. BANANA LEAF MALAYSIAN CUISINE, Vancouver – 1779 Robson St, Central – Updated 2020 Restaurant Reviews & Phone Number – Tripadvisor. Retrieved from: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d3635022-Reviews-Banana_Leaf_Malaysian_Cuisine-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html